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Sunday, November 30, 2025 | Special Advertising Section 22where they are and treat them with respect and dignity,%u201d says Jilma Meneses, the president and CEOof Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, the state%u2019s largest private social service provider. In 2024,CCS served more than 110,000 people, including 14,974 people receivinghomelessness services and 5,500 people provided permanent housing.That personalized approach canmake all the difference. Michelle andBrent, a couple in western Washington,were living unsheltered and battlingsubstance use when they learnedMichelle was pregnant. The couplewanted to provide a better life for theirbaby, so they started treatment and searched for stable housing. At a shelter, Michelle and Brent connected with CCS. The CCS team worked to identify and address theirgreatest barriers to housing. Theyconnected Michelle and Brent with alandlord willing to work with families in crisis and covered all of their move-inexpenses, enabling them to access housing after years of homelessness.%u201cWe wouldn't have been able to afford our moving costs. We wouldhave been homeless with a newborn,%u201d Michelle says.This approach to addressing homelessness is referred to as rapidrehousing and entails short-term casemanagement and financial assistancethat helps people experiencinghomelessness quickly transition to permanent housing. Research has shownrapid rehousing to be an effective andrelatively low-cost tool for addressing homelessness, with 70% of program participants finding permanent housing.Meneses explained that rapidrehousing is just one piece of the puzzlewhen it comes to the CCS approach toaddressing homelessness. With servicesincluding shelter, case management, rental assistance, permanent housing, job skills training, nutrition assistanceand more, CCS offers a range ofsupport options for people experiencing homelessness.%u201cEach person experiencinghomelessness has their own journey, their own needs and their ownSPONSORED CONTENTPROVIDED BY CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVICES OF WESTERN WASHINGTONWith prices rising for essentials fromgroceries to housing, Washington state residents have been strugglingto navigate a growing affordabilitycrisis. Low-income residents have been especially hard hit, with an estimated38% of people unable to afford basicexpenses, an increase of 4% from thelast reported year. Alongside decreasing affordability, Washington has seen increasing homelessness. More than 150,000people were experiencing homelessness in Washington asof January 2025, according to theDepartment of Commerce, a 2%increase from last year. More thana quarter of these individuals are infamilies with children.Behind those numbers are parentstrying to protect their kids from sleeping in cars or tents, older adultsliving on fixed incomes who can%u2019t afford rent increases, and young peopleaging out of foster care without asafety net. For many, the affordabilitycrisis has pushed them beyond theirmeans.%u201cAddressing Washington%u2019shomelessness crisis requires us toimplement effective and targeted solutions. We need to meet people Targeted support helps homeless families find stabilityCatholic Community Services of Western Washington provides essentialsocial services to 110,000 neighbors of all beliefs. As the state%u2019s largest private social service provider, we ofer compassionate solutions includinghousing, shelter, food, and behavioral health and recovery services. Learn more at ccsww.org/donate. With permanent housing, Michelle and Brent now have a stable and safe place toraise their baby. (Catholic Community Services)The CCS Rapid Rehousing program helped Michelle and Brent overcome barriers to housing and achieve stability after years of homelessness. (Catholic CommunityServices)strengths. Collaborating with familiesand individuals to identify solutionsand wraparound services is key tocompassionately addressing thehomelessness crisis in our community,%u201dMeneses says.For Michelle and Brent, CCS%u2019s RapidRehousing program has successfullyhelped them find stability again. The couple, now married, and their youngson remain in the apartment CCS helped them move into. Shortly after moving in, both Michelle and Brentfound fulfilling, full-time employment,allowing them to become financiallyself-sufficient, and they are nowlooking forward to welcoming a secondchild into their family. %u201cGoing from homelessness andtrying to get into a place feels almost impossible because it%u2019s so expensive,%u201d Brent said. %u201cBut just having that help, we%u2019re at a point now where we%u2019re fullyself-supporting.%u201d